Principles and patterns of social games

Principles and patterns of social games Where’s the difference compared to other games? Staffan Björk Dept. of Applied IT, Gothenburg University Game Studio, Interactive Institute

Takeaway
An exploration in how to differentiate between the “new” trend of social games and ordinary games
Based upon these differences, some specific gameplay patterns that are commonly used in social games

Social Games

What is a Social Game?

A definition of play
Johan Huizinga
” [Play is] a free activity standing quite consciously outside ”ordinary” life as being ”not serious”, but at the same time absorbing the player intensely and utterly. It is an activity connected with no material interest, and no profit can be gained by it. It proceeds within its own proper boundaries of time and space according to fixed rules and in an orderly manner. It promotes the formation of social groupings , which tend to surround themselves with secrecy and to stress their difference from the common world by disguise or other means.”
Huizinga, J. Homo Ludens, 1938

Arcade Halls: A Possible Culprit

Social Video Games

What is a game?
” A game is a rule-based formal system with a variable and quantifiable outcome , where different outcomes are assigned different values, the player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome, the player feels attached to the outcome , and the consequences of the activity are optional and negotiable . “
Jesper Juul
Borderline games lack of one requirement
E.g. tabletop roleplaying games, gambling

Social Games are Games

Casual Games
5 Aspects of Game Design
Fiction
Usability
Interruptability
Difficulty & Punishment
Juiciness
Notes that games rarely are either casual or hardcore

Stereotypical Casual Players
Fiction preference
Game knowledge
Time investment
Attitude t. difficulty
Positive Low Low Dislikes Negative High High Prefers

Interviewed Casual Players
Fiction preference
Game knowledge
Time investment

Stereotypical Hardcore Players
Fiction preference
Game knowledge
Time investment

Interviewed Ex-hardcore Players
Fiction preference
Game knowledge
Time investment

Players - What about Games?
Player-centric approach
Study preferences
Study experiences
Can provide requirements
Actually activity-centric
Game-centric approach
Study game design
Analyze existing designs
Can provide specific design suggestions

Player and Game Flexibility Casual Hardcore Games Flexible Inflexible Players Inflexible Flexible

Affordances of Casual Games
Fiction preference
Game knowledge
Time investment

Affordances of Hardcore Games
Fiction preference
Game knowledge
Time investment

Not all Causal Games are Social

Playfulness in Facebook apps (Rao 2008, Järvinen 2009)
5 Qualities
Symbolic Physicality
Social actions, e.g. poking, high-fiving
(Social) Spontaneity
Easy-to-use, familiar themes
Inherent Sociability
Intuitive starting points for collaboration
Narrativity
Telling the players’ stories
Asynchronicity
Removes need of planning game sessions
All but the last exist in face-to-face gaming

A Comparison
Casual Games Qualities
Fiction
Usability
Interruptability
Juiciness
Player preferences
Playfulness Qualities
Spontaneity
Narrativity
Asynchronicity
Player behavior

Summary, so far
Observations
Play is social in its’ nature
All games are social in some sense
If nothing else, players’ retelling their experiences
Qualities from Casual Games help explain players’ preferences towards these games
Qualities from Playfulness explain typical player behavior on the social networks
Other games may support these preferences and encourage these behavior

Social Games?!?

Taking a Platform Perspective
Social Games use social network platforms
E.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, My Space
Characteristics of social networking sites
Have confirmed static network relations
Broadcasting of ephemeral events
Examplifies that social relations must be continuously traced (Latour’s Actor-Network Theory)
Social Games build gameplay on these characteristics
Not all games on facebook are social games

Gameplay Design Patterns for Social Games That build upon the functionality of social network platforms

Gameplay Design Patterns
“ Semi-formal inter-dependent descriptions of commonly reoccurring parts of the design of a game that concern gameplay ”
Björk & Holopainen
Separate function from form
Defines “fuzzy” concepts
Range from concrete to abstract
Work also for unintentional features

Gameplay Design Patterns, cont.
Examples
Achievements
Boss Monsters
Paper-Rock-Scissors
Power-Up
Cut Scenes
Role Reversal
Mutual Goals
Helplessness

Public Player Statistics
Information about players’ game instances that are publicly available.
Potential Enablers
Static Relations
Ephemeral Events
Global High Score Lists , Friend Lists
Consequences
Social Status
Examples: Mafia Wars, Icy Tower

Persistent Game Worlds
The game state is independent from individual players' game and play sessions.
Potential Enablers
Static Relations
Spontaneity
Fiction
Consequences
Tick-Based Games
Examples: FrontierVille, WoW

Tick-Based Games
The game time progresses according to real time, but in discrete steps.
Potential Enablers
Consequences
Asynchronicity
Asynchronous Games , Downtime , Encouraged Return Visits
Examples: Farmville, Parking Wars

Events Timed to the Real World
Gameplay events are initiated by specific real time events occurring.
Potential Enablers
Tick-Based Games
Consequences
Ephemeral Events
Evolving Gameplay Design , Encouraged Return Visits
Examples: Mafia Wars, Harvest Moon

Evolving Gameplay Design
That the rules of a game instance changes as gameplay takes place.
Potential Enablers
Events Timed to the Real World
Consequences
Ephemeral Events
Encouraged Return Visits , Exploration , Red Queen Dilemma
Examples: Mafia Wars, Farmville, Parking Wars, Tabletop RPGs, Nomic

Encouraged Return Visits (Based upon observations in Brathwaite, 2007)
Players are encouraged to return frequently to a certain part of the game space.
Potential Enablers
Catching Ephemeral Events
Continuous Goals
Risk/Reward
Tick-Based Games
Consequences
Grinding
Examples: Parking Wars

Grinding
The need to perform a certain task considered easy repeatedly.
Potential Enablers
Encouraged Return Visits
Consequences
Pottering
Examples: Farmville, WoW

Drop-In/Drop-Out
Designed support to handle players entering and leaving ongoing game sessions.
Potential Enablers
Asynchronicity
Consequences
Spontaneity
Ephemeral events
Examples: Pet Societies, Lego Star Wars

Private Game Spaces
Parts of the game space that only a single player can manipulate directly.
Potential Enablers
Difficulty & Punishments
Narrativity
Persistent Game Worlds + Drop-In/Drop-Out
Consequences
Construction , Visits , Massively Single-Player Games
Examples: Farmville, Puerto Rico

Massively Single-Player Online Games
Games that make use of other players’ game instances to provide input to the game state.
Potential Enablers
Asynchronicity
Private Game Spaces
Consequences
Examples: Mafia Wars, Spore

Construction
Changing or rearranging game elements to form more complex structures.
Potential Enablers
Fiction
Narrativity
Private Game Spaces
Consequences
Pottering
Examples: Mafia Wars, Farmville

Pottering
The management of game resources for its own sake.
Potential Enablers
Grinding , Construction
Consequences
Static Relations
Juiciness
Examples: FrontierVille, The Sims

Visits
Temporary access to other players’ private game spaces.
Potential Enablers
Private Game Spaces
Consequences
Ephemeral events
Massively Single-Player Games
Examples: Farmville, Puerto Rico

Altruistic Actions
Actions that have only explicit benefits for somebody else than is performing the action.
Potential Enablers
Free Gift Inventories , Visits
Consequences
Non-Player Help , Collaboration , Expected Reciprocity
Examples: Farmville, D&D Tiny Adventures

Free Gift Inventories
Players have an inventory of game items that can only be given to other players, but these items are generated for free.
Potential Enablers
Consequences
Altruistic Actions
Examples: Farmville, Frontiersville

Non-Player Help
Players can receive help in the games by actions from those not playing.
Potential Enablers
Broadcasting Ephemeral Events
Altruistic Actions
Consequences
Extra-Game Event Broadcasting
Examples: Farmville, Lifelines in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Invites (Based upon observations in Järvinen, 2009)
The use of inviting new players
to a game as game actions.
Potential Enablers
Static Relations
Drop-In/Drop-Out , Non-Player Help
Consequences
Examples: Mafia Wars, Farmville

Game Events are broadcasted in a medium where others can perceived them.
Potential Enablers
Achievements , Invites , Non-Player Help
Consequences
Broadcasting Ephemeral Events
Examples: Mafia Wars, Xbox Live

Collaborative Actions
Compound actions that require several players to perform actions.
Potential Enablers
Altruistic Actions , Construction
Consequences
Cooperation , Delayed Reciprocity , Purchasable Game Advantages
Examples: Farmville, Pandemic

Delayed Reciprocity
Players perform actions to help others under the assumption that they later will be helped in return.
Potential Enablers
Altruistic Actions ,
Collaborative Actions
Consequences
Guilting
Examples: FrontierVille, Left 4 Dead

Guilting
Trying to influence another player’s actions based upon moral grounds.
Potential Enablers
Ephemeral Events
Delayed Reciprocity
Examples: FrontierVille, Intrigue

Purchasable Game Advantages
Players can pay real currency to gain in-game advantage.
Potential Enablers
Collaborative Actions ,
Social Status
Examples: FishVille, FrontierVille, Entropia Universe, MtG

Extra-Game Consequences
That some actions within a game has pre-defined effects outside the game system.
Potential Enablers
Altruistic Actions , Purchasable
Game Advantages
Consequences
Static Relations
Social Status
Examples: Lil’ Green Patch, ‘sugar beets’ in Farmville

Summary
Social Games can be described as those making use of social networks to provide gameplay
Qualities from Casual Games help explain players’ preferences towards these games
Qualities from Playfulness explain typical player behaviour on the social networks
With this as a basis, several different types of gameplay design patterns can be identified
Some games provide their own social networks

Thank you! Questions?

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Principles and patterns of social games

by staffanb on Aug 31, 2010

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Principles and patterns of social games Presentation Transcript